DCS
dCS Heritage Founded in Cambridge, UK, by a group of expert electronic engineers, Data Conversion Systems originally designed and manufactured high performance analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) for major telecommunications companies and military agencies, whose primary requirement was technology that delivered state-of-the-art precision, linearity and reliability. Our success in this field meant that dCS quickly became known for the performance of its converters and so, recognising in the late nineteen eighties that this technology had a key role in music recording and playback, the company decided to concentrate on developing products for the recording industry. While the focus had changed, our commitment to producing systems of unrivalled accuracy had not, and consequently our products were – and still are – used by some of the world’s most successful recording studios and personnel. dCS recruited some of the smartest and most creative digital audio engineers in the world, and the company evolved into producing digital hi-fi sources which let music lovers enjoy sound of unrivalled quality in their own home. This focus on Research & Development also resulted in a range of proprietary dCS technologies of which the most significant is the legendary dCS Ring DAC™. Our products continue to set new standards of performance in terms of both objective test measurements and subjective listening. What dCS Does dCS believes that the role of a hi-fi system is to preserve all of the subtle information on a recording through the reproduction chain, and present it to the listener with every last nuance of emotional content intact. One of the most important parts of the music reproduction process is digital-to-analogue conversion, when the digital data on a CD or computer file is converted into an analogue signal – the music we hear through the loudspeakers. It is this process that dCS has been refining for twenty five years and, by making the world’s most advanced digital-to-analogue converters (DACs), master clocks and digital-to-digital converters (D2D), we can make Compact Discs or computer music files sound more faithful to the original recording than anything else. Over the years dCS has demonstrated to music lovers worldwide that by separating the key functions of the digital playback chain, huge sonic benefits and extraordinary musicality can be achieved. For this reason a typical dCS reference system can comprise up to four separate units: Upsampling CD/SACD Transport, Digital-to-Digital Converter, Digital-to-Analogue Converter and Master Clock. The positive contribution that each makes to the overall musical performance can easily be heard. All dCS products express the same values of musical and technical excellence and, by utilising the same key technologies across our ranges, we can be sure that whatever the source, the musical performance is guaranteed. dCS products are high end – a combination of world-class craftsmanship and leading-edge technology – but those who invest in dCS have the chance to experience that unique, spine-tingling moment when the world stops and there is… ONLY THE MUSIC dCS Values The unique culture at dCS enables us to embrace change and push the limits of human ingenuity in order to make our world-beating digital audio products ever better. It is this passionate commitment to product and service excellence that sets dCS apart. The dCS Product Promise •We will design all of our products from the ground up using leading-edge technology – so that they perform better than anything else available. •We will ensure that our products have the very best measured performance across all important technical parameters. •We will build our products by hand in the UK to ensure superlative product quality and reliability, testing each product exhaustively before it reaches the customer. The dCS Customer Promise •We will only sell products that offer the finest possible subjective performance in terms of music reproduction. •We will only sell our products through dedicated and extensively trained retailers who will optimise the performance of dCS products in our customers’ systems. •We will offer our customers the best possible after-sales service without question. dCS Philosophy Performance is Everything At dCS we only build audio products that are best in class. Because of our unique architecture dCS products are not constrained by conventional design approaches. As a result we are able to focus on creating innovative technologies and products that transcend the ordinary in terms of both technicalperformance and subjective listening. The result? A uniquely musical experience of unrivalled emotional clarity and intensity. People Matter As a result of our commitment to innovation and leading the field in digital audio, we employ some of the best and brightest talent in the industry. At dCS our entire reptation depends on our people and it is these talented engineers, designers and technicians who have helped us to continually redefine the state of the art in digital audio. Anticipate the Future At dCS we recognise that technology is constantly changing. Our product architecture is completely flexible and modular allowing us to continually improve our products so music lovers can build and expand their dCS system over time. This means an investment in dCS will provide listeners with an unrivalled musical and technical performance now and long into the future. Test and Test and Test Again State of the art measured performance is our number one requirement. For this reason we cannot use conventional test hardware and software because dCS products exceed the capability of standard test equipment. Every unit we manufacture is rigorously tested using dCS converter technology that has been designed, developed and improved throughout our life at the cutting edge of digital audio. Form Must Follow Function At dCS our ambition is to make world beating, life-enhancing products. Our design approach is to balance world class craftmanship with leading edge technology. There is a rich history of ground breaking innovation inside every dCS unit and we only use materials and components that are of the very highest quality. Made in the UK A typical dCS product is assembled by hand with a total build time of around one week. From the original concept to the point of shipping, we are proud to say that everything is designed, tested and manufactured in our Cambridge, UK, factory